In these troubled times of revolution throughout the Middle East, I decided to spend more time watching TV news. Sadly, ABC seems to have no sense of proportion. Following a short segment about Egypt (which just stated a few facts without interpreting them) I was treated to a very long segment about some royal marriage in England. Including videos from the place where the marriage will be. And the reading of Facebook comments wishing good health to the happy couple.
GAH! Why do Americans care more about a monarchy that they fought to break free of (and a marriage which is totaly inconsequential, since Britain is a constitutional monarchy where queens are just glorified celebrities) than they do about a revolution in a country that has always had important ties to the States and that is very likely to affect the US?
Well, it claims to be a news show. And it was pretty much the only news show on my (limited) channels this morning.
But still, back when we had wildfires here in California, they had a bunch of “special broadcasts”. Same with the congresswoman shooting. As important as those were, I think the Egypt fiasco is likely to have a deeper effect on the US…
Television “news” as perpetrated in the US is a business that sells access to eyeballs to purveyors of consumer goods and services. The eyeballs resource is gathered by offering the promise to titillate and/or terrorize the heads that the eyeballs are attached to.
Any actual information about events in the world that people might benefit from knowing finds its way in purely by accident.
I know you admitted this wasn’t a perfect metaphor, but it’s really a pretty horrible one. Grotesquely unfair.
Sesame Street is a serious, professional program designed, written and acted by highly talented professionals, all of whom care deeply about educating and informing their viewers. The fact that they perform this vitally important task with style and wit is just a testament to how outstanding the cast and crew are, both professionally and personally. I don’t know anyone on this show, but I’d be genuinely honored if I did.
Good Morning America, on the other hand, is mediocre drek.
The morning “news” shows have always been fluff…that’s their purpose. It’s supposed to get you going in the morning with a smile on your face…who wants to go to work hearing about the bad news going on? Better to go knowing about the royals…
Seriously, I think the last network morning news that I saw (or at least paid attention to) was CBS’ with Hughes Rudd.
But you apparently have internet access. Given this, why would you watch TV news? Did you think you would learn something other than how feeble TV news is?
I suspect that the OP might not have internet access in the home, and is limited to television before leaving the house for the day, and getting to work/school.
Really Not All That Bright: Compared to other Arab nations in the area?
Jamaika a jamaikaiaké I’ll admit I didn’t really expect to learn anything new. I just hoped I would be able to listen to interesting information in the background while I did other things.
ETA: kaylasdad99: I have internet access at home. I just like to relax and watch TV while getting ready in the morning, and I figured I’d hear more news on GMA than I would watching random TV shows. I guess I was wrong.
I always thought that GMA was news programs for stay-at-home moms and people too sick to go to work.
Who the hell has time in the morning to watch the news? I get up, put on a suit, eat breakfast while reading the front page of the paper, drop eldest child at his bus stop and start my commute by 7:00 AM.
I COULD turn on a TV while eating my Cheerios I guess, but then I would get a commercial or something. When on the road for work (like most of February will be), I put on either CNN or Bloomberg News in my hotel room as I get going - but that is because it is all one room.
I just turned 50 and probably an official Old Fart now, but stuff like this does frustrate me. There used to be actual news reporting on news programs, not News Personalities™ giving their opinions on current events. I was a big fan of Hedline News before they started promoting Robin Meade several years ago. Now that whole channel is nothing but sensationalist crap. The other cable news channels are the same way, just with different spins. Drives me nuts!
Sad state of affairs when the viability and quality of network news in the US has sunk to the point that The Daily Show on Comedy Central has become the primary source of “news” for a good % of the public.
Not me on a normal day. But I had to leave home later than usual today, so I had free time to kill… I’m not complaining about GMA specifically, I guess, just about the state of America in general.
BBC America, if you get it, does World News from 6 am to 8 am (Eastern), and from 7 pm to 8 pm. The evening show is targetted at North America, but IIRC the morning show is there standard World News program.